No. 528.—Petition of Hoani Meihana.

Petitioner prays that the whole of the purchase-money received or to be received by the Government for the 7,625 acres, which was taken in excess of the quantity the Natives intended should be included in the sale of the Pahiatua Block, may be handed over to the Native owners. This petition is a repetition of petitions dealt with in 1891 and 1892. In 1891 the Committee reported as follows: "As the Government have received an area of land largely in excess of the 125,000 acres mentioned in the deed of conveyance in connection with the purchase of the blocks of land known as the Wairarapa end of the Seventy-mile Bush as agreed upon by petitioners, this Committee is of opinion that the above petition should be referred to the Government, with the recommendation that the petitioners should be paid at the rate of 10s. per acre for the 7,625 acres said by them to be the excess." In 1892 the report was as follows: "…that the Committee is of opinion the recommendation of last session should be carried into effect, and therefore recommend that this petition be referred to the Government with that end in view."

The Committee now wish to report that the matter has again been gone into, and that they are of opinion some compensation should be made to the petitioners. They also desire to express regret that the previous reports have not been given effect to.